Chapitre 22: Time astralum
As the morning light began to filter into the mountain cave, Tom stirred from his restless night of training. He had spent the entire night practicing the art of Etherium manipulation, He had focused on better passing Etherium throughout his body, honing his ability to become a Focuser. With a newfound determination, he knew it was time to move on to the next phase of his training: mastering his Astralum of Time Manipulation.
Tom couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement as he contemplated the possibilities this power held. Time, after all, was the most mysterious force in the universe. He sat cross-legged on the cave floor, the pile of rocks from his previous training session serving as a reminder of his progress.
"Time," Tom mused aloud, his voice echoing in the cavern. " If I can master this Astralum, I'll have a unique advantage."
His Astralum had awakened recently, and he had only scratched the surface of its capabilities. Currently, he could pause time around inanimate objects for a mere second. It was a fascinating ability, but Tom knew he had to push its boundaries.
Curiosity gnawed at him as he pondered the full extent of his Astralum's abilities. Wondering about the range of his time manipulation, Tom decided to conduct a simple experiment. He picked up a small pebble and tossed it about a meter away. As the pebble descended, he focused on his Astralum and halted time.
To his intrigue, the pebble froze in place for a second before resuming its trajectory. He repeated this experiment, increasing the distance to two meters, then three. Each time, the result remained the same – he could pause time up to three meters from his position.
With this newfound understanding, Tom began his training to increase the duration during which he could stop time, he reached for a small pebble at his side and gently tossed it into the air.
The pebble spun lazily before beginning its descent back to the ground. Tom took a deep breath, his mind focusing on his Astralum. He envisioned the Etherium flowing within him, ready to be commanded.
As the pebble fell, he channeled his Astralum's power, attempting to halt its descent. For a brief moment, it worked. The pebble hung suspended in mid-air, defying gravity and time itself.
Tom's heart raced with excitement, but his concentration wavered, and the pebble resumed its fall.
He repeated this process over and over again, each time honing his control and extending the duration. Time and again, he struggled to maintain the pause for more than a second. Frustration threatened to overtake him, but he knew he couldn't give up.
Mastery of this Astralum was crucial.
Tom sat down, cradling the pebble in his hand. "There has to be a way," he muttered to himself. "I can't settle for just a second. I need more time."
His mind raced as he considered different approaches. What if he channeled more Etherium into the Astralum? What if he visualized time as a river, trying to slow its flow? None of these methods yielded the desired results. It seemed as though his Astralum had its limits.
Hours passed, and Tom's frustration grew. He tossed the pebble into the air one last time, fully expecting it to fall within a second. But then, something clicked. As the pebble began to descend, he focused not on stopping time but on slowing it down.
His Astralum responded to this subtle shift in intent. The pebble's descent became sluggish, and Tom could feel the Etherium responding to his command. It was as if he had tugged at the fabric of time itself.
With intense concentration, Tom extended the pebble's suspended state. It remained frozen in mid-air, defying gravity for several heartbeats. Excitement surged through him, and he pushed further. The pebble hung in the air for three, four, and then five seconds before finally resuming its fall.
Tom's heart pounded with exhilaration. "I did it," he whispered. "I can control the duration."
He realized that he had discovered the key to extending the pause of time. It wasn't about stopping time entirely; it was about manipulating its flow. By slowing down time around an object, he could make it appear as though it was frozen.
His persistence paid off as he gradually extended the duration of time suspension to five seconds, making progress in controlling his Astralum's power. Yet, his curiosity still burned. Could the range of his time manipulation grow as well?
Once he could halt a pebble's time for five seconds, Tom decided to test the limits of his Astralum's reach once more.Concentrating intently, he invoked his Astralum of Time Manipulation, then he repeated the same experiment as at the beginning, and this time the range of his astralum was 7 meters.
Excitement surged through him as he realized the potential growth in his abilities.
Tom continued to practice, pushing his limits. He found that with extreme focus, he could pause time for up to ten seconds, although it required immense mental effort. When his concentration wavered, the duration shortened.
However, as he continued his training he encountered an unexpected limitation. Attempting the range test once more, he discovered that his Astralum's range had stagnated at approximately seven meters.
Tom couldn't help but wonder about the conditions necessary for further expansion of his Astralum's range. But For now he knew he couldn't dwell on, so he just continued his training.
As the day turned into evening, Exhausted but elated, Tom reflected on the day's progress. He had come a long way from his initial frustration, and he could now control the flow of time to a limited extent. It was a significant step on his journey to mastering his Astralum.
As he settled down for the night, he couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. Tom knew that there was still much more to learn and discover about his Astralum and Etherium manipulation, but he was determined to keep pushing his limits. The path to becoming a powerful etherian was a challenging one, but Tom was ready to face whatever obstacles lay ahead.
Tom decided to take a much-needed break, although in his world, rest wasn't synonymous with sleep. Novices like him had an advantage when it came to endurance; their Etherian abilities allowed them to stave off fatigue longer than regular individuals.
However, overexertion was still a possibility. While Etherium could alleviate the effects of exhaustion, it couldn't entirely eradicate the need for sleep.
Tom was aware that eventually, his body would demand rest. But even after two grueling days of intensive training, the urge to rest had yet to catch up with him. Instead, he resolved to continue his Etherium distribution training, just as he had done throughout the night.
He settled into his meditation position, crossed-legged, and began the familiar ritual of guiding Etherium through his body. Tom remained blissfully unaware of just how fatigued he had become.
These past two days had pushed him to the limits of his physical and mental capabilities. The intricacies of Etherium manipulation demanded an immense amount of effort.
Unbeknownst to him, exhaustion crept upon him like a shadow. The soothing rhythm of Etherium circulation lulled him into a state of drowsiness. Although Etherium had the power to diminish fatigue, it couldn't indefinitely replace the need for sleep. Eventually, Tom's body succumbed, and he drifted into slumber.
With the gentle touch of the morning sun, casting a warm, golden glow upon the cave's interior, Tom roused from his unplanned nap. He blinked in momentary confusion, muttering to himself, "Did I doze off during training?" A series of satisfying stretches followed, and he let out a contented yawn.
Surprisingly, he felt more refreshed than he'd expected after such a brief reprieve. But something had changed within the cave, something that caught his attention.
"Huh..."
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone